


Soothe

by Artistic_Gamer



Series: Izuku haunts class 1-A [36]
Category: BnHA, Boku no Hero Academia, My Hero Academia, mha
Genre: Dadzawa is the best, Ghost!Midoriya, I know what you came for and honestly I approve, Midoriya haunts 1-A, Midoriya takes Bakugo’s advice, Other, like lbr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:13:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27225595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artistic_Gamer/pseuds/Artistic_Gamer
Summary: Izuku is found, and Aizawa - for the first time - fears the little ghost.It still doesn’t stop him from providing as much comfort as he can.
Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku & Iida Tenya, Midoriya Izuku & Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto
Series: Izuku haunts class 1-A [36]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1553269
Comments: 118
Kudos: 981





	Soothe

When the youngest Todoroki burst through Nedzu’s door while he and Iida practiced signs, he was worried. When he was told the situation, however, that worry morphed into heavy concern. Iida hovered over his shoulder nervously, determination already bleeding into his posture, ever the hero, even then.

He tapped away at his computer, getting to the camera footage faster than he’d ever done before, and he was pleased that he could give Todoroki the answer he needed right away. He wasn’t pleased, however, with what he saw. All of the cameras looked perfectly normal, except one in the basement group.

The camera was showing nothing but black, except for two white holes in space that Nedzu could only assume were eyes, white liquid dripping from them and onto the floor. The inky blackness of the room was moving somehow, shadows fading in and out, and something dark and sick twisted in Nedzu’s gut.

Iida darted down through the floor and vanished.

 _…I believe I found him,_ he said slowly, and Todoroki seemed to snap out of his thoughts, straightening.

_Where?_

_In the basement,_ he began, but Todoroki was already flying out the door, barely making time to shout a _thank you_ over his shoulder before he was gone.

Nedzu stared at the screen. He hoped, with everything he had, that the youngest Todoroki wasn’t the one to find him.

Aizawa was furious.

The first thing he should never see when he walked into his classroom was his students, knitted tighty together with fire and spite and rage in their eyes, ready to tear the intruder apart limb from limb. Uraraka should not look prepared to float someone into the stratosphere, Shinsou should not look prepared to tell someone to jump out of the window. 

Even as he breathed deep with Bakugo - settled on the cold ground with his legs already going numb - rage was making his chest burn with fire so potent he thought he could spit it out if he tried. His mind was buzzing, tingles of restless energy making him want to stand and punch the nearest wall as hard as he could just to release some of it. It took all of his willpower, all of his strength, to stay seated, to keep that fire in his chest no matter how badly it burned him. They needed calm, and that is what he would give them.

 _Where’s Todo?_ Kirishima asked, wide eyed and worried. He hadn’t moved from Bakugo’s side, from concern or the tight grip of Bakugo’s hand, he wasn’t sure.

_With Nedzu, attempting to locate Midoriya. He’ll arrive when they find him. Kaminari?_

_Feeling better,_ he called back from behind him, voice stronger than before, and Aizawa huffed a quiet sigh through his nose, barely controlled.

 _Tell me what happened,_ he said to the room at large. _Everything._

His students looked at one another warily, worry creasing their foreheads and around their mouths, but Yaoyorozu stepped forward and began to speak.

The moment Nedzu had found where Midoriya was, he had shot like a bullet through the floor and raced to the bottom of the building. For the first time, he thanked the state he was in for its lack of solidity as he raced through walls and doors and floors to get to Midoriya. He had no context for why Midoriya was so upset to begin with, but it didn’t matter.

He knew the second he was in the basement simply because of the lights. Midoriya’s upset was affecting the entire floor’s lighting system, and Tenya felt panic and alarm race down his spine at the sight of all the light fixtures flickering in eerie, quick unison. His injuries pulsed, cuts burning, but he ignored it pointblank in favor of racing through the hallways in a desperate attempt to find the child. It didn’t take long with how fast he was going, he knew what to look for, and he was pleased to know he could still use his Quirk when he attempted it, even in death. 

A room at the very back of the maze-like basement was pitch black. Tenya couldn’t see anything inside. The light refused to get farther than the doorway, any more than that was an inky blackness that Tenya was sure he wouldn’t be able to see his hand in. The only thing visible were two white eyes, just like the camera in Nedzu’s office had shown, tucked in the corner as high as Midoriya could possibly get without phasing through the ceiling. His eyes were leaking, quartz white tears that dripped down the curve of his face and stopped where Tenya assumed his chin was, falling to the floor in small stars against the void. 

Tenya tried to enter, and the eyes quivered.

  
  
  
  


_G͒ͣͥ̊̊ͬ̀ͥ͠҉̸̧̬͉̘̝̝̣̮̘͔̱͎͔͇̥O̎͒̋̊́̀̃ͯ̀̇̐ͬ̍͋̆͊ͮ̔ͥ̀͏̧̛̟̖̝͍̲̣͖̫̝͉̜ͅ ͔̙̜̤̭̥̞͈̼̺͖̼̗̞̭̼̥͔̾̅ͨ̾͂ͧ͜͡Ą̵̢͍̙̞̻͖͕̤̝̯̩̺ͯ̑͆̍̓͋ͬ̑̎͒͑̾̽ͧ͑̑̎̊͜͠W̠͎̺̹̩̯̫̺̟̻̭̱͕̮̹͕͋ͫͥ́̓͜͞ͅA͓͍̠̤̰͚͙͍̟̺̦͉̙ͫ͗͊̄ͪ̆̍̍͋ͦͬ̾̇͜͞Y͆͊ͫ̐̓ͯ̐͟͏̣̳̥͕̺͖͝.̈͊̂̓͛͐̌̎̅ͪͨ̏ͪ̈́ͭ̉ͩ́͏͖̭̫͔̩͉̝̜͖̞̳͍͍̰̟͈͇̥͜_

  
  
  


Midoriya’s voice was borderline intelligible, sent stabbing pain straight to his ears. It barely pushed through warped radio static and fuzz, layered over with so many voices he didn’t know where Midoriya’s was anymore. Tenya froze just before the doorway, his hands going numb in seconds from the cold. Goosebumps broke out on his skin, and he swallowed hard with a dry throat. He had to breathe through the storm of terror that crashed into him for a second, then two, then three.

 _Midoriya,_ he called when he was sure his voice wouldn’t shake. _Do you recognize me? I am Iida Tenya, from Class 1-A. I want to help you._

The shadows writhed, moved somehow in the darkness, and the eyes glowed.

  
  
  
  
  


_G̸̨͋̀͐ͪ͛ͥͫ̾̔͆̓͏̴̫̠͚̜̜̲̺̱͖͕̘͙̕O̷̢̪̬͇̠͖͍̫̲͖͎̪͍̱͛ͬ̆ͤ̊̇̎̑̀͊̓ͣ̀͢͠ͅ ̱̣͕͚̤̥̻̅̈̎̂̆ͤ̆͟͢͞͠A͆̎̄͊͌ͬ͏̷̡̲̱̫̳̤̫̳̩̲̫̦͙̣̝̥̗̱W̢̛̫͓̳̰͔̬̤̯͈̲͇̎ͧͧͫ́͠͡A̡̛̩̖̮̱̮̞͈̝̝͍͕͔̮̻ͪͫ̐͑͛ͫY̷̹̟̟̩̲̖̯̮̳̮͉̻͚̖̻̖̫̗̮̽ͧ̄̏̈̅ͮ̃̅̄̉̕ ̨͈̜̠̗͚̹͚͍͉̳͇͇͎̟ͪ͌ͦ̎̽̓ͧ̀̎̉̍̚͠G̴̢̜̬̲̼̘̺ͯ͆̋̈́̑́̓̓ͧͧ̽͋̆͛̽ͧ̓Ơ̞̦̯̝͍̝̤̯̞̺̬͙̦͚̺̈́̽͒̑̕͜͠ ̢̛̝͇̹̪̟̟̣̍͗̆͆̔́ͦ͑͞Ą͈͍̱̯͓̝͉̿̈́͗̅̆̌̀̽͝W̾ͩͥ͛̐̚͟҉̷̶̵̼̟̩Ą̵̯̘̤̦̗̯̝͔͓̖̩͙̹̞̅ͯ̑͆ͬ̊ͫ̈́ͬ̏͟͢Y̨͍̼̮ͤͣ̑ͧͬ̔̿͒ͫ͆ͭ̃͗̈̚͠ ̶̝̺͈̯͔͉̭̫̜̣̘̗̪̗̪͓̦͓̰̄̎ͭ̏ͯ̉͗̄ͧ̀͡͞Ǵ͉͈̜̪̱̬͍̯̮̻̪̺͎͍͐̇͊̉̔̏̂͆͛̐̄̑̀̚͟͡O̅̑͂ͪͧͣ̑̌͆ͣ̄̂ͩͩ̔̀҉̷͙̯̙̣͢ ̵̗̜̘̜̖̖̰̙͉̝̠̯͔̱̘̪̩̂̊̓͗̅͐̊ͧ́̀͝ͅẢ̴̝̘̦̜̯̰̅̎ͫ͛͛͂͊ͮͧͫ̓̋ͯ̾͌̚͢͠ͅW̴̱̗̺̮̯͚̝̝̟̹̲̹̯͇͊̉͌̓ͣ̐̂Ą̷̴͙̟͍̜̘̘̘̤͆͐̽͂̋̓ͦͤ̉̑̊̔͒ͩY̸̧̝̻̯̻͇̬̭̰̞̜̪͇̣̭͍̭̭̾́̆ͭ̇͂̉̋̎ͥ̎͟͝ͅ ̛̜͍͎̩̥̋́ͬͣ̓̽ͦ̓ͯ͌̑̎̋ͬ̊͒̀͜Ǵ̶̶̵̹̝̦͕̝̮̅͊̄̍̋̆̒͂̀͌̍̊̒Ǒ̴ͫ̽͂̋͌̐̿ͮ̉҉̸̯͕̮̲̥͖̹͕͚̮̹̹͞ͅͅ ̵̳̫͔̗̦͔̮̘̮͍̋̑ͮ͋̊ͭ̌͌͊ͯÄ̶̵͉̤̰͉̫̬͚̩́̒̈̑̋̌͗̉͆͊ͤ̀͌͢͜ͅW̨͓̯͔̬͖̪̫̼ͪ͊ͦ͂ͮ̔̐̐́̽̎ͣ͒̒̆́͟͞A̵͕̘̝͇̻̹̖̼̦͉̩͚̖̣̖͗͋͋́ͣ̍̍ͧͧ̑͆̓͒ͮ͌ͮ̚̚͡ͅY̦̖̦͎̘̭̯̺͕̰̼͍͕̗͎̳͎̳̬ͪͭ͋́͐̈ͮ̀ͮ͐̌͆ͩͥ̄̾͝ ̷̵̷̷̩͇̮̩̠̤̥͇͎͇̹̰͎̼̻̦̣̯ͫͮ̑̈́̃̃͂̆̅͂ͧ̓͌̓̔̾ͪ̚͝G̶̵̜̗͕͚̣̮̰̹̝̥̺̞̘̜̩ͬ̀̏ͥ̓̑́́̆́͠͠Õ̶̹̺̖̯̜̤͓͈̯̣͈͓̫̝̜͆̔ͣ̀͑ͯ͋̀̊͒̏͗͋̉ͦ͞ͅȦ̶̠̼̝̼̬̼͙̻ͯ̅̅ͨ̍̈͌ͪ̄̍̇ͮ͛̊̊̇ͤ͡W̸̶̧̖̜̩̻̭͕̱̜̦̭͎ͬͭͨ̇ͣ̒͗̍ͮ͛͗̎ͦ̊̈ͥ͂̃ͅA̸̹͕͙͔̦̘ͨ̐ͥͮ̈́Y̷͕̲̖̬̯̟̝͎̹̤̳̰̦̖̋ͨ͋͑͑͗͡ͅG̴̵͌̃̑̀̿͛̌͢͝҉̙̻̙͈͉̻O̸̵̴̬̼̣̪̬̲̮̤̦͔͕͆̇ͭ̐́̑͂̅ͭ̃̄ͪͫ̍͂ͅA̴̢̡̛̠̮̟͇̻͓̳͇͖̪̩̮͎̟͕̎͑̅ͣͤ̓̎ͭ̇̚W̵̨͈͔͕̪̩̭̹̫͓̥͌̃̄̀͞A̶̴͔͚̝͔̳̖̙̘̦̩̹̩͇͍̣͓̥̞͍̍̉̾̓Ÿ̶̸̢͕͇͈̞̜̭̻̼͍ͪͯ̆ͪͦ̒̂ͪ͐̄͌͂ͥͣ̈́̋̀̚͜ͅ_

  
  
  


Tenya should have felt afraid, and on some level he was. Midoriya was acting borderline hostile, but Tenya knew who he was dealing with, and his heart was breaking more than his hands were shaking.

 _It’s okay if you don’t want to talk to me,_ he whispered into the darkness, stared at the eyes, trying to soothe the small child as much as he could from a distance. _Can I help you in any way? Get you anything?_

His tears came more rapidly, splattering the floor below in decor of a night sky. Tenya heard a sob rip through the fragile silence even as the eyes didn’t move.

  
  
  
  
  


_Ą̵̛̘͕̪̼͙͓̙̪̯͕̞͈̞͗́̌͆ͧ̔ͣͭ̃̀ͧ̔̏̅̇͢ͅỊ̧̢̮̥̩̤̳͖̺̹̯̙̜̣͌͒̂́̓ͦ͜͝ͅẐ̀͆̇̅̔̄͑́҉̶̡̳̭̫͉̞̬͚̩͇̞Aͫͪ͂͂ͣ͏̶͍̺͔͍̫͈̜͎̣̣͇̮͈͉͚̣̖͜͞ͅW̵̧͉̘̰̜̩̠̯̮͈̫̼̬͓͔ͯͫ̃ͭ̔ͮ̀͢A̋̆̈̍͌ͦͫͫ́̔ͯͬ͑͗̆ͪ͏̷̛̯͖̜͉̬͕̥͠.̡͈͎̩̪̻̫̼̥̫̻͕͑ͤ̋̌̈͗̑̉̈͋͘͝ ̧ͩ̋͗̾͆ͫͣ̂ͤͯ͂̓̃ͦ̏̋͟͜҉̳̞̭̼̞͔͙͇̪̼̫̭̬̰͎̻͙̩Ị̵̶̛̝̥̩̥̪̺̼̣̼̝̫̯̥̥̗͔͗͂͒͑͑̑̓͘͜ ̷̸̴̢̯͔̫̳͉̹͔̌̉̽ͪͯ̾̈́ͯ̊ͨ̎́̚̚͟M̌̎ͪ̓̎̾̄ͬ͊ͩ̓̂͋̐̀͗ͯ̚҉̭̮̗̗̱̖͈̠͕̼̘I̵̛ͬ̐̃͋̊͊̕͏̧̹̠̣̭͕̙S̸̷̗̣̜̤̹̩̃̐̌̋̽̾̀ͅS̢̠̼̹̘̮̦͍̘͔ͩͥ̋͆ͯ̓͋̇̉̊̽͑ͫͪͬ̃ͯ͟͠ ̜͔̤̮̻̺̜̼̗̥̲̤͙͂ͮ͑̏͂ͧ̆̔͂ͫͫ̈̄͆ͨͤ̍́͟͟Ą̧͖̭̫̝̯̯̲͎̜͎̊̄̐ͧͮ̍̉ͦͤ̉̎̒ͥͣ̇͟Ì͐̍ͬ̅̋ͯ̌̈͋̃̂͗̑̃͗̄ͦ̚҉̷̷̳̯̜̺̺̭̻̠̯͈̦̹̀͢Z̸̳̙̠̝̳͍̲̻̰͖̮̼̭̬͍͚͔̬͉ͥͪ̆ͨ͊̿̌̏̿͛̉̄̊͛ͤͩͭͥ͜͠͝͞A̵̛͖̮̟͕̥͈͕̫̲ͩ͊͊ͧ͗̉̍̐̾̋W̸̩̜̪͕̪̲̗͖͇̓̅͛̔̂̏͌̈́̔̓̓A̸̛̲̪͚͔̞̺̻̩͖͖̜̾͛̑̐̆̎ͨ͌ͦ̔̈́ͥͭ.̺̩͖̺̮̻̜͚̪͍̫̯͚͇̟ͤ̾̋̓́̔̂͒̇̀͘ ̸̺̱̠͎̱̹̞̱͎̠̫̫̹̒̒̇ͦͭ͌ͪ̅̉͝Ăͯ̌ͨ͗̓ͨ͑̃̌̔͏̵̲̱̮̼̼̼̝͔̞̥̠̞̝̗̭͇I̵̸̓̈́̿ͨ̒̀͒̈̌̄͘͜҉͍̦̟͔Z̫̺͍̟̬͉͖͖̜̑͑͛̚͜͠A̡ͣ̇ͪ͋̒̇҉̸̫̙̻͎̭̟W͆̄ͪ͗̇͆̽ͦ̂̍ͥ͊̀̕͏̸͇̘̼̞͚͙͇̳̩̗̥̫̱̻͉ͅA̷̹̱͚̬̝̱͕̮̰͔͖͈̮̤̭͐͑̇̆ͩ̅̽͑ͤ͐̓̍͛̀ͬ̌͌͆.̸̍ͤͧ̍ͨ̉̇̌̎͋̀̅͂̎͌̆͐ͬ҉̟̻͎̗̦͙̗̮͇͉̼̘͖͔̯̻͇̭͟ ̢̧̟͎̣̻̩̯̗̱͙̺̼̟̟ͦͮ̇ͣͯͤ̿̽ͥ͆̅͛̃̎̕̕͞P̨̥̩̬̮̩ͣͨͨ̔͘Ḽ̴̬͍͚͈̫̣̻͎͎͔̓̂ͤ̃́̈͒ͨͪ̒͠Eͯ̐̆ͦ́̄̑̏͌̊̃̓̒͋̔̏̈́̚͠͏̰̣͈͇͔̟̙͇̩͎͖͔̲̙͕A̴̧̳̠͈̻̔ͪ̑ͣ̍̆ͣͦ̅ͨͧ̆ͩͤ̚͡͡S̵̨̡̫̞̤͇͉͇ͯ͛̏̄̓ͥͮ͊͑ͧ̀̚͟Ė̢̬̣͓͎̥͔̻͖͇̦̙̝͍̤̼̏̆̀̔͊̋̐ͮͫ̏̾̒ͤ̒͆ͩͨͧ.̡̧̹̩̲̫̯̻̖̺̙̭̺̦͚̿̅ͪ̎ͦ͒̌ͣ́̎̔͟͠_

  
  
  
  


_You miss Aizawa,_ Tenya breathed, sadness making his already sunken heart sink even lower. _Okay, I will send him down here and be right back._

Midoriya didn’t answer and he hadn’t expected him to. He braced himself, then darted up into the ceiling, his engines propelling him faster than he could fly on his own. He was thankful the roaring of his Quirk drowned out his quite depressing thoughts.

Momo trailed off, finished with her explanation, and waited anxiously for Aizawa’s reaction. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was expecting, in all honesty. When she was met with Aizawa’s still, rigid back, something jittery and bitter turned her stomach. Kirishima, who could see Aizawa’s face, went pale, and she winced.

She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but a dangerous stillness wasn’t it. He wasn’t moving, was barely breathing, and she knew the sight of someone desperately trying to contain themselves. Momo didn’t blame him for his temper, not that time. It was such an awful situation.

 _He dropped through the floor and vanished,_ Aizawa said, and Momo held her breath, her heart pounding, she could hear the blood rush in her ears. The memory was on repeat in her head, she was sure that’s what happened. She wouldn’t forget it for a long time.

 _Yes,_ she nearly whispered, then cleared her throat, tried again, and she was thankful when her voice came out a lot stronger. _He just - dropped. We don’t know why he went down, I thought he was more likely to find you with how upset he was…_

Aizawa didn’t speak for a moment, very still and very quiet. Momo bit her lip nervously, only just managing to stop from fidgeting on the spot.

 _I believe,_ Aizawa said slowly, _he may have been having a flashback._

He had said the words calmly, but that didn’t stop the meaning behind them from cracking into her heart like a whip. She held her breath against the well of tears that came unbidden, the stinging in her eyes and throat so powerful she had to swallow the sob that pushed against her lips.

The only thing he could be having such a response to was his death. Didn’t he mention…? Was he really….? Any thought she tried to start she couldn’t finish, even to just herself. It was too painful to think about, and it hurt all the more to think it was still affecting him so much even then. Her stomach rolled, bile rising to the back of her throat. When she thought of his injuries...it painted enough of a gruesome picture, but now she had an idea of how he’d gotten them.

 _A flashback,_ Shinsou breathed from somewhere to her left, and Momo closed her eyes as the tears wormed their way past. She inhaled a hitched breath, covered her mouth to keep quiet. _Do you - would my Quirk work? To help calm him down?_

 _I’m not sure,_ Aizawa said. _It’s always worth a try._

He turned to look at her, opened his mouth to speak, then paused, his gaze flitting past her to look at something over her shoulder. She could feel a presence, a cold chill down her spine, and she felt relief flood her chest - Izuku was back, he must be - but when she looked at Aizawa again her teacher appeared the most alarmed he’d been the entire time and the good feelings vanished. At the same moment, the door crashed open, and Todoroki stood gasping in the doorway, red-faced and clearly exhausted.

 _Izuku's in the basement,_ Todoroki choked out, wide eyed.

Aizawa stood up quickly, barked a quick _Everyone stay here,_ then bolted out the door, saying nothing when Todoroki turned right back around to follow him out.

Momo watched him go, wiping away tears. She shouted in alarm when Shinsou darted after them.

He’d turned to Yaoyorozu to focus on her and say - something - but he was met with Iida’s transparent form instead, coming through the floor at a bolt and screeching to a halt mid-air. 

_It’s Mido,_ Iida signed quickly to him, face scrunched in an emotion Aizawa didn’t have the patience to decipher. His signs were sloppy with inexperience and uncertainty, and he had to have Iida repeat one or two. _He’s angry. Upset. Follow me, please. He needs you._

Todoroki confirmed a location, and he didn’t need any more than that. Aizawa stood, told everyone to stay put, and darted out of the classroom. Iida didn’t hesitate for a moment, speeding ahead of him and stopping right at the stairs, dropping through the floor the moment he was able, and Aizawa nearly broke his ankle in his rush to stop his momentum and speed down the steps. He could hear Todoroki’s footsteps only a pace behind him but he couldn’t stop to scold him now if Iida’s face was anything to go by, and he had no idea how long Midoriya had been by himself, even a few seconds extra was too long. The time it took to descend the stairs all the way to the basement door took a year off his life with the stress it caused him, the thought of Midoriya panicking and crying all alone making his heart squeeze like a vice in his chest, and coupled with the shortness of breath from running, he could hardly breathe at all.

The sight of the basement floor was not helping matters. The lights flickered, similar to a horror movie, and his heart dropped with his stomach and left him feeling weightless when he heard sobs coming from off in the distance. He followed Iida closely, darting through the maze U.A called a basement, ignoring the equipment and training robots stored there in favor of keeping his attention zeroed in on Iida’s back. Eventually Iida stopped, anxiously hovering in front of a doorway but refusing to enter it. Aizawa didn’t give himself time to catch his breath. He power-walked the rest of the way, the sobbing an echo in his skull that made him grit his teeth, and when he made it to the doorway he automatically made a move to step inside.

The cold was nothing he’d ever felt before, even on Midoriya’s worst days. Just being in front of the doorway had him shivering, his cheeks, hands, feet, and knees automatically going numb just being in the vicinity. He couldn’t even see Midoriya in the pitch black void he was staring into, wasn’t sure he hadn’t bumped into another unknown ghost haunting U.A’s walls, for vengeance instead of curiosity. The pure white eyes staring him down were not friendly.

Aizawa sucked in a surprised breath. The cold air burned like raw ice on the way down.

_Midoriya…?_

Iida nodded fervently, pointed at the pair of floating eyes leaking white tears, and Aizawa couldn’t believe it, but Iida spoke with a soundless voice and Midoriya spoke back, warped almost beyond recognition at all.

  
  
  
  


_A̵͇̮̪̬̞͎̟̺ͩ̏ͪ͜I̫͉͍͊͒͒ͩͯ͜͡Z̷̶̞͎͔̖̙̥͕͈̘̘̀̈́ͯ̾̀ͫͮ̋̌ͣ͋́͝ͅA̿͒ͨ̓ͮ̽̀͟҉̥̭͈̪͍͖̳̟̟̗̬̹̞͕̥̣̱̹̦Ẁͩ͛ͬ̿̓̓̚҉̶̶͕̼̦̲͎̗͠Ą̸͚͕̻͎͕͈ͧ̇͌̓͐ͦ͛̊͌̓ͫ̃̾ͨͪ͜͡?̸̹͎̜̟̭̟͈̜͙̩̟̞̀͆̓͌ͪ͐ͫ̓ͧͮ̇ͦ̌̕͟ ̯̲̳̩̙̲̭̪̫̿͆ͨ͊̿̍̏̄́ͬͨ́Ḁ̵͓̻͔͓̠̣̟̫̻̩͎͍̰̂͗̔ͭ̚I̴̧͕͍̰͕̜͍̦̿͒͒͑̃̃̍̀̔̿̍̊̄͋ͪ̃̒ͯͤͅZ̡̢̘͕̙̹̪̪̝͈̮̲̪͖̠̦͉̅̎̈́̐̊ͩ̂̇̈́̒͑ͭ̇̾͂̚ͅͅAͬͣ͗̄̉̃̾̒̚͏̟̲̝̩̠̱̤̟̩̖̰͈̬Ẇ̶̡ͥͪͣ̍ͮ̿ͩͪ̇͟͏̠̞̝̗͇̻̲̼̬͓͇͈A̸̺̜͓̫̖̪̺̝͉̦̖̙̬͊ͧ̈ͨ̅͠͝ͅ?̸̴̷̘͇̣͓̳̟͇̥̱̖̥̜̪͉͓͔̉̾ͪͮ͌̋͂̋ͧ͂͜_

  
  
  
  


He froze.

Fear was a normal feeling, especially in a career like his. He carried it with him sometimes, when a mission got to be a little too much, when a life couldn’t be saved and passed especially gruesome, when his own life came an inch too close to being whisked away. He never thought he’d fear because of Midoriya, but his voice was eldritch, twisted too much, no longer human in its vowels and manner of phrase, only a facsimile of it. The tail end of fight or flight began to swell in him, threatening to make him drown, and only through experience was he able to even attempt to breathe through it, trying to get his head to clear and to get himself moving again, to make sure he didn’t catch hypothermia if nothing else.

Iida swiping his arms through his head officially snapped him out of it, freezing him over body and soul.

 _Help him,_ Iida signed, eyes desperate, pleading.

Aizawa swallowed any reservations he’d had, and stepped past the doorframe and into the void.

 _It’s me,_ he coaxed, soft, arms carefully suspended in front of him in a gesture of peace. It wasn’t needed. The next thing he knew, something slammed into his chest and stomach and knocked the wind out of him. He wheezed, instinctually wrapping his arms around what he knew to be Midoriya, even if the kid blended in with the blackness around them.

Midoriya sobbed, loud and broken, voice strangled with static and drowning in blood. Aizawa stayed silent, not knowing what to do other than be there, rubbing his back with one hand and ruffling Midoriya’s hair with the other even when it felt like it wasn’t enough. He didn’t think anything would be enough, not for this.

_Hey-_

Aizawa turned in time to see Shinsou - dammit he’d told them to _fucking stay put_ \- reach out for his shoulder. 

  
  
  
  
  


_D̛̪̩̘͔̜͈̟̺̱̤̟̝̤̭̮̻̹͎̠̔͛ͣ̓̾̔ͬ͢͠Ő̴̡̧̖̺̮̺̼͙͇̟̥̝͇̣̌͋͗̐̓̂ͤ̽̚̚̕͞N̩͕̟̭̱̼̒̊ͩͣͯͨͨ̔̿ͫͥͣ̿͂̊͠'̵̨̢̝̪̟̦̺͖̲̟̟̯̙̹̐ͣͦ̑͗̀͑ͨ͊͆ͣ̕͞T̪̞̘̤̻̼̖͇̥͍̖̘̩̏͂͊̓̄̑͊ͥ͋ͩ̋̂̉ͯͩ̄͟͞ ̈ͦ̏͐̾̑̓̄ͧ̓͋̐̋̏҉̴̱̯̫̜͇̲͟T̢͓͚̩͎̹̥̐ͫ̍̑̊̊̿̓͊̍̚͘͢O̡̯̭͔̥̒͒̌̾͑̒̈͟Ụ̘̟͍̪̠̼̞̟̥̞̟͉͕̔̽͌ͨͥ͑̐ͪ̊̊ͯ̌̈́̎̕͢C͙͙̹͕̯̣̮͔̹̬̲͈̝̠̦͑̑ͦ̑̔̿̐ͩ̈́̊ͭ̐͑͢͞ͅH̴̼͉̠̤̣̓ͣ͆ͦͦ͐̌̏̿̐͆͑͟ͅ ̨̪͉̯͖̜͖͎͓̐͋͆͑͂̀͛̌͡H͚̣̥̲̠ͯ̊ͭ̐̒͆͒̓̄ͥ͑̓ͫ́͡Į̳͓̞͔̞̙̤̖̓̆̃̽̑ͤ͛̏ͯͪ̊̆͒ͤ͡ͅM̶̟̪̫̣̪͍̥̣̼̍̈̆͊ͯͤ͟ ̵̛͚̝͖̹̹͇͉͚̫̮̜͇ͤ̄̓̓̉̾͆͊͆͑̀̚͠͡D̵̷̀ͣ̊ͫ͂ͥͩ͂̋̒ͧ҉̥̥̳̥͞O̬̦̮̳͉͔̳͔̖͈̽̈́͂̿͐̿̀̃ͧͧ̉͠͝N̷̯̺̲͒̈͌̾̎̾̚͡ͅ'̓̐̏ͫͩͩͤ̌̆ͯ̑̾͑̈̿ͫͩͭ͏͇̣̠͙̻̱͔̹̳̣̭̱̻̝͢Ţ̵͊̑ͦͬ̇ͤͩͣ̒̏ͥ̈́̒̀̚͠͏͈̜̘̪̼̥̫͡ ̒̅ͬͣ̋̓̇ͯ̄̅͏̡̝̟͈̻͖̹̠̬̹̜̥͈̝̹̳̥̱̘T̶̸̶̰̬̰̯̣̹̻͎̦͈͍́̅̓ͭͫ̓̎̚O̵͍̥̲̯͕̼̭ͫͦͭ̋͒̉ͬ̇́͘͢U̩̖̗̟̱͈̗̥͉̹̼̙͕̰̺͖̲ͨ͐ͨ͝Ç̵̞̗̱̲̝̱͚̟̔ͩ̔ͩ̑̆̈͊̒ͮ̋ͬ̌̄̒̀͢͡H̵̴͙̮͇̰̎ͩ̆̓͒̀ͭ̑̇̅͑̈́̈̓ͣ ͇̗̬̹̞̱̰̥̹̣͓̺̤̺̍͌̎ͯͫ̐̀ͪͤ͘͡H̛̹͚̰͉͇̹̪̘̻͙̲̣͉ͦ̀́ͨ́̋̎͌ͧ̃ͬͨ̈ͣ̿̚͘͘͠I͆ͦͯ͐͑́ͧ͑̊̍ͣͤͣ̀͢͏͚̘̤̖̞̱̥͎͈̳̠̘͠M̸̨͐ͨͩ̌̍̓ͮ̎ͦ̑̅͒̑ͯ̾̽ͮ̚͘҉̘͈̗̝ͅ ̨͕̖̹̼̥̝̺̤͈̬͕̳̝͛̉̔̓̑͑̇́ͪ̿ͤ͞D͑̄ͧͩ͠҉̜̞̮̮̲̩̺O̢̬͔̬̭͊̋́̾̈́̐̀̕ͅŃ̡ͥ͐͆̉ͪ̃ͣͤ͆̏̋̓҉̗̣͖̞̤̱͎̗̟̗̤͎̠͕̠̖̘̦͍'̵̴̻͖̤̘̗̺̪̱̝̟ͨ͂ͭ̑͋̏͊ͦ̒͐̿̉ͨ͛̐̀͘͢Tͭ̇̄ͤ̒̂́͏̷̸͔͔̤̥̤͘ ̷̷̸̧̦̘̼̠̦̝͈̼͖̮̤̄̊͗͆͗ͫ͢Ṭ̴̛̘̰͍͚͍̬̞̲̳̥̪̽́̅̑̿͜͠O͈̼̫͈̥̱̹̲͓͔̗͈̠̱̣̟̞͔͑ͨ̂ͨͩͣ̃̿ͭ̃̈͗̀ͩ́̚͢Uͩ̈͑̊͑ͧͩ͝͏̵̵̮̤̗̞̰̝̦̝̙̰̦̹̹͓̞̞̥C̡͉̝̪̲̹̞̥̜̬̙͕̈́ͩͥ̇ͨ͟͠H̶̟̝̗̲̦͎͈͕̟̥͆̌̋̎͂̇ͩ͆̂͊ͪ̒ ̶̛̭̣̼̣̗̗̥̗͈̑̈̐͌͐̑͂̈̈͌ͭ̉̔̀͆̚̚͞H͎̝͔͚̰̝͈̪̝̳͇̻̗͍̲ͨ̈́͊͐̂ͨ̿̊͆ͦͥ̅͊͛͑̿̽ͭ̀͡ͅĪ̵̢̙͎̥̦͖͈̬̘͓̙̠̭̬̗͑̒͆͌́͋̋̎̿͑̒͟͠͝M̴̘̼̺͉͚̯͚̙͌̉̀ͨ͆͊͆͐ͧ̒̔̚͠ ̩̥̟̻͈ͨͣ̉̋̓͘͜͠Ḍ̸̛̣͔̜ͬ̌̅ͪ̿̂͑ͧ͌͋͑̉Oͥ̎̓҉̵̝̰͉̘͎̣̯́Ņ̴̹̠͔̮̫̙͑̑͛ͪ̓ͫ̎͟͢͞'̨̳̭̮͚̺̘̹͇̰̺̤͙̟͔̯ͩͫ̆̽ͣ͆ͯͬ͑̽̾ͬ̾ͬ̓ͦͯ̃͑̀T̵̷̝̦̲͈̟̬̱̖̮̫̹̩̰͍͚̭̓ͫ̏̀̆̇͌͐̈ͫ́ ̨̧͎͇͖̲̪̘͇̐ͥͣ̉̇͌ͦ͂̋̑͊ͬͪ͢͜͞T̢̑ͥ͑͗̃ͨ͛ͭ͏͈̱̪͓͔̥̤̺͜O̮͇̻̜̪̣̪̹͉̟̰̼̪̤̖̦̥ͬͨͤ̍ͨͪ̓ͯͪ̾̑́͟U̶ͤ̓͑̈́̎ͬ͌̈́͊̊ͫͮ̍̓ͯ̚̚͠͏̳̘̜̟̙͎͈̥̖̜ͅͅC̨̜͔̖͔̦̙ͨ̑͋ͯ͐̔ͥ̀̐̊̔̀̀͠H̶̉ͮ̾͛ͨ̈́͌ͫ͏͈̱͈̮͓ ̶̢̨̺̪͓̜̰̣̼̣̭̯͉͇̪̪̺͚͙̽͊́̑̈̑̇̿͋ͣͨͫ͌ͦͧ̊̾̚̕ͅH̛̠̥̘̖͎̗͎̻͖̦̟̟̺̝͖̮ͦ͐̾͛̃ͥ̈́̂̋̒͛̊͂ͦͨ͑̍͐͟͠I̡̡̜͈̜̯̖̤̫̤͈͔̣͕̽ͯ̒͌̊̿̎ͥ͆̍͗̽ͨ̀͡M̸̡͎̜͔̰̤̻͕͉̞̮̜ͥ̍̂ͣ̂̿͒̒ͣͪ̋͢͞ͅ_

  
  
  


Midoriya’s words raked through his eardrums and shook his skull, and he grit his teeth to stop them from vibrating. Shinsou recoiled from the awful noises and took a handful of steps back, clapping his hands over his ears, a gesture Todoroki was already indulging in. Aizawa would too, if he didn’t have his arms full. Although he couldn’t see in the darkness Midoriya had created, he could hear the objects rattle and shake, Midoriya’s breathing not breathing at all and more gasping for air he couldn’t get anymore. Aizawa pulled them both down to sit, and he curled forward slightly, seeking to shelter the child.

 _I’m here,_ he muttered. _I’m here._

Midoriya sobbed, gasped, sounded like he was close to retching. The entire basement went dark for a few seconds, to the alarm of Shinsou and Todoroki who yelled in surprise, but when Aizawa blinked the lights in the hallway had turned back on.

 _I understand your alarm,_ he told them, purposely calmer than he felt, _but I would appreciate you both helping, not making it worse._

Todoroki looked sheepish while Shinsou balked at them both. _Izuku,_ Todoroki called to the sobbing mess in his arms. _Can I come in?_

Aizawa shifted, looked at the black, vague figure, and forced himself to understand that they were dealing with a twelve year old child. He sat on the thought, internalized it almost, and took in a deep, fortifying breath. 

If he was going to get Midoriya to calm down, they had to approach this differently. Midoriya wasn’t in a clear enough headspace to be talked down properly, sure, but that didn’t mean he was a lost cause. They just...had to get on his wavelength, so to speak.

 _You’re supposed to knock, Todoroki,_ he scolded, keeping his voice soft, never any real bite to it. It was all for show anyway. _It’s only polite._

Todoroki looked taken aback for a moment, but Shinsou elbowed him in the side and nodded pointedly into the dark he was surrounded in, and Todoroki’s face cleared.

 _Right. My apologies, Izuku._ Todoroki stepped to the doorframe and rapped his knuckles a couple times against it. He paused, composure breaking only once at the sound of Midoriya’s wet, crackling inhales in between his crying. _May I come in?_

Midoriya squeezed his torso tight, and Aizawa could’ve sworn he saw streaks of green amongst the blackness. He sobbed, eyes wide and white. His tears were snowdrops on his clothes, as wet as they were freezing.

He patted Midoriya’s head a bit awkwardly. _Todoroki is asking to enter,_ he murmured to the boy. _Can he say hello?_

Midoriya nodded, just barely, but it was an unmistakable feeling. 

_You can come in,_ he called.

Todoroki passed the threshold tentatively, approached with caution, slow and easy, and everyone barring Midoriya held their breaths. He sat to Aizawa’s right and didn’t move. There was a beat of silence, of stillness, and only when nothing happened did they collectively sigh in relief.

Shinsou looked determined. He knocked just as Todoroki did, his voice a careful thing as he spoke. _Hey Izuku. Can I come join you?_

Again, Midoriya nodded, and Aizawa gave him the clear. Shinsou stepped into the room just as carefully, feet making contact with dimly colored stone. Giving Midoriya even that small amount of control seemed to help, however slightly, in dragging him out of his spiral, and the pure darkness Aizawa had been sitting in moments before was starting to lighten. He could just make out tall cardboard boxes against one of the walls, could just make out Midoriya’s silhouette curled in his lap.

Even with such a vague, dark shape, Aizawa knew he shouldn’t make direct eye contact with Midoriya’s arms, or his leg. If the cold was worse than he’d ever seen before, he figured it was safe to assume his injuries would be as well, and he really, really didn’t want to see it.

 _You picked such a cozy spot,_ Shinsou said, and Aizawa was ready to glare holes into his head until he registered how sincere he sounded. _Nice and out of the way. Couldn’t have picked a better room myself._

Todoroki looked significantly more out of his element than Shinsou did, and he wondered briefly if Shinsou had any younger siblings or cousins. _Yes,_ Todoroki said. _Very...comfortable._

Aizawa blinked, and the room looked lighter still. He could see his hands on Midoriya’s back clearly now, could see Midoriya’s actual back instead of the black mess it had been earlier. He pulled his gaze back, regretted it almost immediately when he realized Midoriya’s head was bleeding from a new wound in his forehead - _fuck fuck when had that happened had he done that but there was no way oh god don’t tell him_ \- but also felt relief so strong he almost fell over when he saw Midoriya’s head, could peek around and see the kid’s eyes. He was still crying, choking on his breaths, but he was looking around from his position of pressing firmly against his chest and stomach, nestled as close as physically possible.

Other than his arms, it felt like an average child was hugging him.

An idea struck him, and he reached around to grab one of Midoriya’s small hands in his. He stopped, cringed from feeling broken bone and a bent wrist, every instinct in him screaming not to purposefully touch the gruesome injuries, but he blatantly ignored it and was extra careful in encasing Midoriya’s hand in his. It took a moment to convince him to let go, but when he did Aizawa held that small hand out to the two teenagers.

They both paled, and Aizawa understood their hesitation, mourned his reluctance from earlier being ignored so quickly. Midoriya’s hand, wrist, arm, did indeed look the worst it had ever, and Aizawa stared at his students instead, swallowing the bile clawing its way up his throat.

It was a lot to ask of them. If Aizawa could think of a better way to get Midoriya calm, he wouldn’t at all. Just as he began to think neither of them would follow through, surprisingly - or maybe not - Todoroki worked up his nerve first. He reached out and took Midoriya’s hand in his own.

Todoroki looked at the little bundle in his arms and smiled, small, but genuine in its own right.

 _Hello Izuku,_ he said, and his voice only shook a little, eyes glassy. _It’s nice to see you._


End file.
